New Attraction - Bay City, Michigan

by Dianne

Finally, on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, the USS Edson (DD-946), a retired Navy destroyer, arrived in Bay City after 15 years of hard work from many dedicated people. The destroyer will be towed further upriver to its permanent location near the Independence Park Boat Launch once mooring installation is completed there. Construction at the site is taking place and should be completed in several weeks.

Some history:   The Edson  was a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer of the United States Navy, built by Bath Iron Works in Maine in 1958.  Her home port was Long Beach, California and she initially served the Western Pacific.  She was shelled by land forces in North Vietnam and apparently received “friendly fire” from our US Air Force.

Edson returned to the West Pacific following an onboard fire in 1974 and was later commended for her roles in the evacuation of Phnom Penh and Saigon.  She was decommissioned in 1988, but the following year became a museum ship at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York. In 2012, it was agreed that she should again become a museum ship at Bay City, Michigan.

The museum plans to offer formal tours below deck once the Environmental Protection Agency determines it is safe to do so.  It's not as big as the Lex, but it's ours, all 418 feet. Just one more point of interest to add to your list when visiting our great Bay City.

The USS Edson, at her temporary site, and Rick